Capitals 3, Rangers 2 (OT)

In a game that didn't feel much like the postseason, Washington gave future playoff opponents fair warning about how it handles tight games.

Outshot by a team eliminated from contention, Washington stayed close before tying it late and beating New York in overtime on Wednesday night.

Braden Holtby stopped 35 of 37 shots, Lars Eller forced overtime and Evgeny Kuznetsov won it to push the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals closer to their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Even if it wasn't the kind of showing the Capitals would like to have come playoff time, Eller's goal with 1:50 left and Kuznetsov's 38 seconds into overtime showed what they could do when it matters.

"I think we play better when it's close," Holtby said. "With our skill, I think it forces us to turn things on late in the game and I think guys take that as a challenge. That's I think a reason why you can see us bring it to a next level to try and force the other team into feeling a bit of panic and open up space."

There was little panic in the Rangers, who were playing their first game with no playoff implications since 2004, and they turned that looseness into a 37-33 shot advantage. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves and Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner scored, but New York lamented a defensive miscue on Eller's goal that let the game slip away.

"So frustrating," Lundqvist said after his first game with no hope of playoffs in his NHL career. "When you're tied up that late after playing so hard and doing so many good things, it doesn't matter where you are in the standings, you want to win games and sit in here and feel good about a win. They came back and got it. It bothers me."

After the Capitals came back and got two valuable points, they can clinch with help around the league or by picking up a point Friday at home against Carolina. There are lower expectations on Washington this year after back-to-back Presidents' Trophies and second-round exits, but Holtby said making the playoffs was a goal at the start of the season.

It's within reach now.

"It's the first step on the way," Eller said. "We want to win our division and go into the playoffs on a high note."

Holtby looks like he could be heading into the playoffs on a high note after almost two months of struggles and a minor lower-body injury. He would have liked to stop Spooner's third-period goal on a shot that beat him clean, but with a question of whether Holtby or Philipp Grubauer will start, it helped that the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner finally looks like his normal self again.

"I felt comfortable," Holtby said. "It's something I'm not used to — not playing much. The stamina and such was a little different than I was used to, but it felt good to go out there and just get to work and play in a high-intensity game."

There are many more high-intensity games to come for the Capitals, who can soon exhale about making the playoffs and prepare for the next step.

"The NHL how it is, it doesn't really matter where you are in the standings," Holtby said. "The guys should be proud. We should be proud we're in a position like that."

Maple Leafs 4, Panthers 3

Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games and Toronto beat Florida to set a franchise record with its 46th win.

Toronto also set a high-water mark with its 27th home win and are all but assured of finishing as the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division with the playoffs less than a month away.

James van Riemsdyk added his 35th goal — and the 200th career — for Toronto, while Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau added their 30th and 25th goals, respectively.

Frederik Andersen made 30 saves and set a career high with his 36th victory.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice, and Evgenii Dadonov also scored for Florida, which got 31 stops from Roberto Luongo, including a couple of big ones early.

Both Huberdeau and Dadonov hit the 25-goal mark.

Florida, meanwhile, remains three points back of New Jersey for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, with one game in hand.

Flyers 2, Avalanche 1

Ivan Provorov had a goal and an assist, Petr Mrazek stopped all 17 shots he faced in relief of starter Michal Neuvirth and Philadelphia held off Colorado.

Claude Giroux also scored as the Flyers climbed into third place in the Metropolitan Division. They're tied in points (92) with second-place Pittsburgh, with the Penguins currently holding the tiebreaker.

Philadelphia looked crisp early — scoring both goals in the first period — despite losing in overtime at Dallas a night earlier. Neuvirth turned back 10 shots in his first game since suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 18, but he exited the game midway through the second period for an undisclosed reason.

Matt Nieto scored for an Avalanche team that's on the outside of the playoff picture with five games remaining. Andrew Hammond had 31 saves during an emergency start for Semyon Varlamov, who was sidelined by an illness.

Coyotes 3, Golden Knights 2

Kevin Connauton scored twice to lead Arizona over Vegas.

It marked Arizona's first victory over the expansion Golden Knights in the teams' fifth and final game this season.

Richard Panik also scored for the Coyotes, and Antti Raanta improved to 18-16-6 by making 27 saves.

Erik Haula and Alex Tuch scored for the playoff-bound Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots.

Bruins, Chara agree to one-year extension

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a contract that will take him through his 42nd birthday, and he’s already anticipating the next one.

“I believe, myself, that I’m going to be playing beyond this contract,” he said on Wednesday after agreeing to a one-year deal that will pay him at least $5 million.

“No matter how long you want to continue to play, you have to perform. You have to back up your status,” he said. “So I know I need to go out there every night and do my job, perform and play hard and work hard and be a great example for my teammates. (The) rest of it, it will fall into place.”

A five-time All-Star who was the league’s best defenseman in 2009, Chara turned 41 this month but still leads the Bruins in time on ice with an average of 23 minutes per game. He has seven goals and 16 assists this season, his 20th in the NHL, and is the franchise’s third-leading scorer for a defenseman, behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr.

“He’s been a dominant player this year,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “He takes all of the hard matchups still, doesn’t shy away from any situations and has embraced the role that he’s kind of emerged into. ... He’s indicated that he wants to perform at a high, high level, he expects to perform at a high level, and he’s backed that up.”

Chara was in the final year of a seven-year, $45 million contract that reportedly paid him $4 million this year. His new deal guarantees him $5 million but also has incentives that could pay him $1.75 million more.

“I will not be surprised if we’re sitting here (again),” Sweeney said, “because he’s indicated he wants to continue to play.”

Sweeney conceded that Chara had leverage if he went to the free agent market. But the 6-foot-9 Bruins captain said he wanted to stay in Boston and help develop young players such as Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork.

“I believe in this team,” Chara said. “It’s very exciting to be a part of this team. I think this team has a chance, and that’s all you can ask for. The rest of it is up to us to do on the ice. So, yeah, that was my priority, to stay in Boston, to be a Boston Bruin.”

Sweeney said Chara’s influence isn’t just on the younger players.

“It really is a ripple effect through our whole hockey club,” the GM said. “Every player realizes the bar is set so high with a player that has accomplished as much as he has, yet he shows up every day. ... At times, when we’re trying to get him off the ice, he wants to be on it more. So, I think the example for excellence starts with Zdeno.”

Chara played in the Bruins’ first 68 games this season before an unspecified injury that has sidelined him since March 13. Boston has also played without Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, Rick Nash, Torey Krug, McAvoy and DeBrusk this month, but is just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday night’s matchup.

“I’m so proud of the team, and what the guys have been able to do with so many guys being out of the lineup,” Chara said. “Just a great indication that this team has a never-give-up attitude and willing to fight till the last whistle.”